2_New York Jets2

Pittsburgh Steelers Gameday HQ

There’s no question that Rex Ryan is one of the best defensive
coaches in the league, and teamed with general manager
John Idzik the Jets have amassed an impressive collection of
defensive talent.
The defense’s strength is clearly in their front seven. Ryan’s
aggressive scheme allows the linemen and linebackers to pressure
the opposing team and use multiple fronts to create confusion and
exploit mismatches.
First round draft pick Sheldon Richardson exploded onto the
scene in his first season in the NFL. The defensive end helped
solidify one of the leagues best lines alongside Muhammad
Wilkerson and Damon Harrison. Richardson was named the NFL’s
Defensive Rookie of the Year for his efforts.
Wilkerson, another first round pick by the Jets, had an even
bigger break-out season. Offensive linemen struggled mightily
to stop Wilkerson from disrupting the backfield. He led the
team with 10.5 sacks and added an interception to his already
full stat sheet.
Inside linebacker David Harris, the team’s defensive leader, led
the team in tackles for the fourth time in the last five years. In that
lone season, Harris was second by just one tackle. Fellow veteran
Calvin Pace, who had ten sacks in 2013, and Quinton Coples,
another emerging young talent that was drafted by the Jets in the
first round, will flank Harris to round out a dominant front seven.
The defense’s biggest area of concern is in the secondary. Over
the last two seasons, the Jets have lost No. 1 cornerbacks Darrelle
Revis, who is now with the rival New England Patriots, and
Antonio Cromartie.
The team will have to rely on second-year CB Dee Milliner,
who struggled in his rookie season and was pulled from several
games because of his poor performance.
The Jets will attempt to strengthen the unit with the help of
two draft picks: safety Calvin Pryor and CB Deter McDougle. CBs
Kyle Wilson, another Jets first round pick, and Dimitri Patterson
will add some depth to the relatively inexperienced group.
Defensive Rookie of the Year honors. At 6-3 and 300 pounds,
Richardson has the size to stop the run but he still maintains the
athleticism to rush the passer. And with an impressive roster
SCOREBOARD
D’Brickashaw Ferguson
AL PEREIRA/GETTY IMAGES SPORT
2013 2012 2011 2010 2009
PLAYOFF FINISH - - - CC CC
REGULAR SEASON W-L 8-8 6-10 8-8 11-5 9-7
POINTS PER GAME 18.1 17.6 23.6 22.9 21.8
POINTS ALLOWED PER GAME 24.2 23.4 22.7 19.0 14.8
YARDS PER GAME 318.1 299.1 311.8 351.0 321.0
YARDS ALLOWED PER GAME 334.9 323.4 312.1 291.5 252.3
TURNOVERS 29 37 34 21 30
TAKEAWAYS 15 23 31 30 31
Jets Defense
Defensive Player to Watch
Richardson had a breakout year that earned him NFL’s
Key Additions:
WR Eric Decker, Breno Giacomini, RB Chris Johnson, QB
Michael Vick
Key Subtractions:
CB Antonio Cromartie, WR Santonio Holmes, QB Mark
Sanchez
Rookies:
S Calvin Pryor, TE Jace Amaro, CB Dexter McDougle
of players around him, Richardson is set up to have another
spectacular season.
In an effort to take the next step, Richardson has promised
to be more disruptive on the field this season and cause more
turnovers. With all of the promise that the defense showed in
2013, they forced just 19 turnovers.
Rex Ryan is sure to put more emphasis on being physical, and
Richardson will be key to that improvement.
Jets Special Teams
The Jets have long been known for their focus on special
teams, even when some coaches took their sideline roles a bit too
seriously. This year should be no different as the team locked up
place kicker Nick Folk and hope that free agent acquisition Jacoby
Ford can contribute in the return game.
Folk had one of the best seasons of his career in 2013 when he
connected on 92 percent of his field goals and was top five in the
NFL in field goals made. He was also 3 for 3 on kicks over 50 yards.
Punter Ryan
Quigley got
plenty of practice
in his first season
as a starter. He
punted 72 times
last year with 21
of them being
downed inside
the 20-yard
line. The Jets
hope to see great
improvement
form the young punter.
Prediction
For all of their offensive struggles, the New York Jets were just
one game shy of a playoff berth. Now Geno Smith has a year of
NFL experience and a full training camp under his belt.
But the truth is that the Jets will only go as far as their
defense takes them, and that gives them a good shot at
competing for an AFC Wild Card berth.